The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-06-23

In last nights h. y. lanes appears
the following special from Junction
City, giving a chapter in the war
history of that Iowa crank, Gen. Tut
tie, who has made for himself so envia-
BILE q reputation in connection with
the Cleveland-G. A. R.-St. Louis mat
ter
1.-The following letter written by a
well known and responsible resident OF
Junction City, was published in the st.
Louis Times in 1876. The facts are as
true now as they were then, and the
public ought to know who it is that
makes a disturbance over the visit of
the president to st. Louis:
To the Editor of the Times:
l notice in your issue of August Is
extracts from letter written by Will
liam Barnett, of Ohio, commenting up
on the "war record' of General j. NJ.
Tuttle, of Iowa, in which mention is
made of his cotton operations on the
''Big Black in the rear of Vicksburg,
in the spring of 1864. l take leave to
call attention to another page in his
military history which it may be
well for the people to know.
In February Of the year 1864, while
Sherman was absent on the Meridian
expedition in Mississippi, General Tut
tie, no doubt preferring the safety Of
the rear to the more glorious danger of
the front, was left in command of dis
trict headquarters on the Big Black
with my regiment, the First Kansas
mounted infantry, on outpost duty, its
line extending from Mrs. Messengers
ford above to Halls ferry below, dis
lance of about twenty miles of river
front. After Sherman had commenced
his march from Jackson to the East,
General Tuttle sent for me to come to
his headquarters. L reported. He be-
gan his interview 10y saying that he had
an arrangement with the treasury de-
partment of the government, by which
he was to receive One-fOurth of the
value of all confederate cotton he could
seize and bring within our lines, and
that the present occasion was good
time to make the capture. He further
said that he wanted me to take 100
men from my regiment, and he would
detail 100 more, with 100 wagons, to
report to me, and with this command |
should go into Kinds county, Miss, and
take possession of all the confederate
cotton l could find, or which should be
shown to me by the secret service men
whom he had in his employ. L sug
geSted to him that my order for this
duty should come to me through my
superior officer, the colonel or lieutenant
colonel of my regiment, both of whom
were present with their command.
The general replied that he didn't
"care a - for them,'' that he wanted
me to go, and that he would order me
direct, and L must go. l yielded, as
was my duty.
/ had never, however, known SOL
der of his rank whose courage had to
be supplemented by an influence or op-
portunity SO mercenary; nor until then
was L aware that prize money of this
sort was paid by our government, and
| think the general discovered my
thoughts, for he left me in no doubt
that his favorable opportunity was
Sherman'S fortunate absence, and as l
was ready to leave he was kind enough
to say and promise that if my ''expedi-
tom had ''good luck'' there would be
enough in his lone fourth to give me
"a handsome present" | went out,
and when L concluded my operations,
] had delivered to this eminent soldier
and republican statesman several hun
dred bales Of cotton branded ''C.S.A."
from one man alone. Colonel Dabney
having taken four hundred and twenty
five bales.
But to the sequel. The government
never got one pound of this cotton.
The general had in his command, or
in his employ" two northern men,
who with facility and skill which to
me was surprising, cut out the c. S. A.
brand and deity substituted their own
and shipped the bulk Of itnorth on per-
mitS given by the general, and with the
assistance Of men in the military Serv-
ice. This operation was successfully
conducted before Sherman got within
range. Upon the latter's return, how
eyer, vas told that General McPher-
son made General Tuttle disgorge
much of the avails of his stolen booty.
know at the time the amount seemed
to me enormous.
never got my presents" though l
think the general for long time re-
membered his promise, as in 1868, at
the national democratic convention in
New York, he sent for me to come to
his room, l think at the New York
hotel, and this great and pure chief
tain told me with evident emotion that
the g government is still after me
about that cotton" l intimated to
him that it was serious muddle, that
perhaps the government may be right
in their action, but that had no spec
ial interest in it. He said. ''if they
push me, / want you as witness. You
know more about it than any one else"
] told him that thought / could find
out for him if he desired, the exact
number of bales l had turned over to
him. This ended the conversation. l
had never been called upon to testify.
and l don't know whether or not the
general has ever been pushed by the
- government. Since, however, /
have come to know how the claims
against individuals are 'settled" by
the government. have found myself
irving to calculate how much she ''gen-
eral" should have disgorged for immu-
nifty, or, which seems more probable,
how much he received for his sudden
conversion and firm adhesion to the
party of Joyce and Mcdonald, Babcock
and Belknap, Hesing and Mckee, Blaine
and Schenck. However, with such
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